The Divine Dramatist: George Whitefield and the Rise of Modern Evangelicalism
Review by Jeff McDonald, August 16, 2005
The thesis of this book is that George Whitefield (1714-1770) changed the nature of Christianity by promoting and conducting mass revivals that exploited the weaknesses of institutional Christianity.
The book begins with Whitefield’s early years growing up in an inn, which exposed him to many different people, including actors. Later, Whitefield utilized what he learned from the actors and became known for his theatrical sermons. Stout traces Whitefield through some of his difficult days as a student and servitor at Oxford University. As a servitor, Whitefield was in the lowest social class and had to serve more wealthy students. During this time, he converted to Christianity and joined John Wesley’s “Holy Club.” In 1736, Whitefield graduated and became an ordained deacon in the Church of England.
He first started preaching in London, then went to North America as a missionary. After serving in Georgia, Whitefield returned to London were he was exposed to “field” preaching. In 1739, he became an ordained priest in the Church of England. Stout notes that Whitefield never “rescinded” nor “renounced” his Anglican ordination.
The combination of theatrical oration and open-field preaching proved to be extremely effective for Whitefield. He would go on to conduct field preaching that attracted people by the thousands, and Stout notes that Whitefield preached on more than 18,000 occasions to combined audiences that totaled in the millions. Whitefield was an innovator who used the press to publicize his events and make religion a force to be reckoned with in the marketplace. Stout details Whitefield’s sermons to new listeners that focused on the need for regeneration – a new birth – and condemnation of the Church of England (his own denomination).
Whitefield claimed that too many Anglican Church officials were caught up in the “formality” of their office and were perhaps “unconverted.” He believed that if a denomination was declining numerically and becoming apathetic toward the Christian faith, then denominational leaders were responsible. Stout writes, “If religious apathy was not the fault of the people, as Whitefield insisted it was not, then it must be laid at the feet of their spiritual leaders. This inverted jeremiad [complaint] had worked well [for Whitefield] in England and the middle colonies, and it worked well in New England.”
Stout notes that Whitefield criticized various anti-evangelical church officials, but also the intellectual elite at Harvard College. Whitefield infuriated Harvard instructors by complaining that Puritan classics were being replaced in the college by works by deists.
Whitefield’s willingness to criticize high-ranking church officials and academics caused many of them to despise him. Yet, the more he criticized the elite, the more admired he became by the general public. Whitefield was more than popular, however, he was an international celebrity. Stout writes that Whitefield’s fame among the general public allowed him to build an international evangelical movement that challenged the establishment from the bottom up. According to Stout, Whitefield was confrontational in his approach to various church leaders: “Confrontation, as Whitefield knew, aroused curiosity, and his own Anglican church was his favorite target. Soon Anglican churchmen throughout the American colonies joined their London brethren in opposing Whitefield. And, as in New England, their opposition simply fueled popular enthusiasm for the young critic who fearlessly denounced clerical ‘formality’ and Arminian preaching.”
Stout points out that many colonists of the era held anti-establishment views: “In fact and spirit, most Americans were dissenters, at odds with traditional, hierarchical ways. This, combined with their historic Calvinism, elicited strong bonds of sympathy and support in response to the news of Whitefield’s persecution.”
Whitefield believed that if New England was to be revived, the leadership for the renewal has to come from the laity. It must be noted, however, that Whitefield was not simply a revivalist. To be precise, he was a theologically Reformed revivalist. Stout writes, “From first to last, he was a Calvinist who believed that God chose him for salvation and not the reverse. His piety was molded by a conversion experience that, he passionately believed, was unmerited and of divine initiative.”
This book parallels current issues because it focuses on the tension between a populist-oriented evangelicalism and the leadership hierarchy of an established church. This tension still exists in mainline Protestantism. Whitefield is instructive in that he is an example of a reformer who sought to reform within a denomination that he felt was corrupt. He is unique in that he criticized the establishment churches while, at the same time, he criticized radical separatists who would not allow association with groups they felt were un-holy. He was sympathetic with separatists, but understood the importance of keeping the good news of Christ at the forefront of his ministry and being truly committed to preaching the gospel in any environment in which he was allowed to preach. Stout points out that Whitefield even would have preached in Rome if the pope had given him the opportunity.
The content of Whitefield’s sermons also is instructive for mainline Protestants today. A stress on conversionism, combined with repentance, could help revive mainline denominations.
The Divine Dramatist is an outstanding historical account of one of America’s greatest preachers by a professor of church history at Yale Divinity School. Stout also is an adviser to the Institute for the Study of American Evangelicals at Wheaton College. The portrait Stout paints of Whitefield is believable and compelling, and his injection of humor and his clear writing style make the book an enjoyable read. Moreover, Stout does an excellent job of pointing out both Whitefield’s strengths and weaknesses – as his less-than-perfect, self-serving relationship with his wife illustrates.
Whitefield was a famous preacher, but also a cultural hero who became Benjamin Franklin’s only close evangelical friend. Upon Whitefield’s death in 1770, Franklin wrote about his friend: “I knew him intimately upwards of thirty years. His Integrity, Disinterestedness, and indefatigable Zeal in prosecuting every good Work, I have never seen equaled, and I shall never see exceeded.”
More than 200 years ago Whitefield called on people to make a personal commitment to Christ. It’s a lesson that Presbyterians today can learn, becoming enthusiastic about evangelism and praying to God that He brings renewal and revival to the church. We also must remember the importance of our Reformed tradition and the need for serious Christian thinking that does not compromise on essentials. An evangelical renaissance in the Presbyterian Church (USA) would challenge the denominational structures much like Whitefield did all those long years ago.